JEREMIAH CHAPTER 21 King Zedekiah in the siege sendeth to Jeremiah to inquire of the event, JEREMIAH 21:1,2. He foretelleth a hard siege and miserable captivity, JEREMIAH 21:3. He counselleth the people to fall to the Chaldeans, JEREMIAH 21:8; and upbraideth the king's house, JEREMIAH 21:11. _God at... [ Continue Reading ]
Zedekiah, as he was none of the best, so he was none of the worst, of the kings of Judah; be had some convictions and impressions (possibly from his education) not worn off; and having some reverence of God, he sends to the prophet to _inquire of the Lord_, because the KING OF BABYLON was come up to... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
The honour that the king of Judah had put upon the prophet, in sending these special messengers to him, is no temptation to this good prophet to prophesy smooth and pleasing things, for which he had no warrant from God. The prophet styleth God THE GOD OF ISRAEL, because the whole posterity of Jacob... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL FIGHT AGAINST YOU, (as a prince is said to fight against a nation whose captains fight against it, though himself stirreth not from his royal palace; yea, more than so,) animating and influencing the Babylonians and Chaldeans, whom I have sent to fight against you, and discouraging and dispir... [ Continue Reading ]
Still God proclaimeth himself this people's enemy. Pestilences are but the usual consequents of long sieges, through the scantness and unwholesomeness of food; but God is the first cause of such sore judgments, though there be other second causes. The murrain of beasts bears proportion to the pestil... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTERWARD; after that many of the people of this city shall be destroyed, some by the enemy assaulting and skirmishing with them; others by the famine that shall be amongst them through a want of victuals, being all spent with the long siege; others by the pestilence. Zedekiah, who shall escape thes... [ Continue Reading ]
I tell you the way that you should take if you would save your lives, and the course which if you take you will certainly lose your lives.... [ Continue Reading ]
But certainly, if ever any man spake high treason, this prophet now did it, when there was an enemy besieging them, telling them, that if they would save their lives, they must revolt from their king, and join with their enemies. All that can be said in excuse for the prophet is, that this was a Div... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE SET MY FACE AGAINST THIS CITY FOR EVIL, AND NOT FOR GOOD; that is, I will set myself against it, I will be an enemy to it. See the like phrase LEVITICUS 17:10, LEVITICUS 20:5. It is a phrase signifying not only God's aversion from them, and the taking his affection off them, but his determina... [ Continue Reading ]
By THE HOUSE OF THE KING OF JUDAH he means the house of Zedekiah, the court, or those (as appeareth by the next verse) who were the magistrates. These, how great soever, are not excused from the common obligation upon all to listen to and to obey the revelations of the Divine will.... [ Continue Reading ]
He calls these the HOUSE OF DAVID, either checking them, who were indeed so in a lineal descent, or minding them what they ought to be in imitation of their father, David. The only way they had to keep off those Divine judgments which now hanged over their heads was to EXECUTE JUDGMENT, that is, _ju... [ Continue Reading ]
INHABITANT OF THE VALLEY; the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem are those here intended, PSALMS 125:2. The mountains were round about Jerusalem, yea, Jerusalem itself was builded in part upon the rocky mountain of Zion; but a great part was in the valley, and the higher mountains about Mount Zion... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL PUNISH YOU; in the Hebrew it is, _I will visit upon you_. God's visitations are either of _mercy_, PSALMS 80:14, PSALMS 106:4, or of _judgment_; therefore the sense is here rightly given by our translators _punish. According to the fruit of your doings_; the fruit of men's doings is the produ... [ Continue Reading ]